Transmission cables are used to transfer electrical power and/or data signals. Typically, a transmission cable includes a conductor core and an insulating jacket surrounding the conductor core. The conductor core requires good electrical conductivity in order to transmit electrical power or data signals. The insulating jacket protects the conductor core and fulfills other mechanical and electrical properties.
In certain applications, the cable may be exposed to various types of electromagnetic interference. As one example, transmission cables used on aircraft are frequently exposed to High-Intensity Radiated Fields (“HIRF”) that emanate from high-powered radio and/or television frequency transmitters, radar, satellite transmitters, large microwave communication systems and the like. As a result, various onboard systems of the aircraft may be affected by the electromagnetic fields generated by HIRF.
Accordingly, some transmission cables also include a shielding jacket (e.g., copper, silver or aluminum shielding) surrounding the insulating jacket to protect the cable from such electromagnetic interference. Disadvantageously, such shielding increases the weight of the cables and, thus, the overall weight of the aircraft, may be susceptible to environmental effects (e.g., corrosion), may generate heat in response to the electromagnetic interference, and/or may suffer from signal decay due to the electromagnetic interference.
Accordingly, those skilled in the art continue with research and development efforts in the field of transmission cables that are resistant to electromagnetic interference, particularly, in the aerospace industry.